Dancing in the Darkness
by Purplesuberu
Summary: A missing criminal. An obsession unleashed. What will a man do when he has nothing left to lose, and how far will another go to save the woman that he loves?
1. Prologue

He fingered the cold plastic, rolling it around in his hands until it felt comfortable, a piece of his own flesh. He turned it over, studying the electronic display on the back.

The man at the camera store had told him it was the newest technology. No respectable photographer was still using a 35 millimeter.

He had tried to explain that he didn't want to see the image seconds after he had taken it. It stripped the art, took away the spontaneity, he had said. The clerk had looked at him sideways, evaluating his sanity. So he had given in, paying for the camera and making a quick exit.

As he began snapping pictures of his surroundings, he missed the familiarity that had been ripped away from him. There was no film that needed to be loaded, no light to be measured. Everything was taken care of, leaving him alone to make sure the shutter snapped open and closed.

He hated landscapes. They were stark, still, predictable. He had worked with live models, people who could change and react to his skill. They were dynamic, interactive. Now, with only trees and bushes being forever preserved, he felt a feeling of emptiness overcome him.

Still, you have to start somewhere.

Turning, he concentrated his attention on the fountain, framed on all sides by various shrubbery. Clicking away absentmindedly, he caught a glimpse of a human form on his lighted display.

And that's when he saw her.

He ducked behind some bushes to avoid her gaze, hoping like hell that he hadn't been spotted. But despite everything that screamed at him to just leave well enough alone, he was drawn to her, and he felt his gaze drifting back over to her before he knew what was happening.

He had thought that she was beautiful back when he had known her. But if anything, the years had only served to enhance her beauty. Her hair was straight now, not falling in the messy ringlets that he remembered. She walked confidently, every last trace of the fear she had once carried with her now gone. His eyes traveled down to her skin and he saw that some things were just the way he had remembered. Her skin looked soft, and even at that distance he could see it appear to be glowing softly. He could still remember the way that she had felt in those few moments when her skin met his touch.

Feeling the memories course through his body, he pulled his gaze away from her, cupping his head in his hands.

He had spent eight long, lonely years in prison, and the campus priest that would visit every Saturday had warned him of this very experience, this blissful moment when he would come in contact with her again. But all of those long afternoon counseling sessions evaporated around him. He could feel her close to him, and he just wanted to reach out to her again.

"Remember the hunt." He reminded himself. It had been a long time, and with somebody as special as Elizabeth, well, he had to make it fun. After all, she was responsible for sticking him in that dark forsaken prison, her and her little friends. No, he would come up with something special, a surprise to surpass all others.

He watched her stride confidently past the fountain, past the bench. Their bench. Never flinching, never looking back.

"Have you really forgotten about me, Elizabeth? So soon? We certainly can't have that. Not after everything we've been through together."

"We won't think of it as revenge," he murmered as he watched her increase the distance between them, "more like an interesting reunion. It's been too long, Elizabeth, far too long. You are in for the surprise of your life, little one."


	2. Chapter One

Elizabeth pulled her jacket closer to her as she felt the wind whip harshly around her. She shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. She looked around her quickly, and seeing nothing quickened her pace. She shook her head in an attempt to bring herself back to reality. She had walked through this park hundreds of times. Nothing bad was going to happen.

"Yeah, you thought that on Valentine's Day too, didn't you?" Feeling the memory overtake her, she pulled her jacket around her more tightly before increasing her stride, just hoping she would make it back to the street, leaving all the negative memories behind her.

Keeping her head bent against the wind, she was surprised when she felt herself collide with another solid body. Feeling a gasp escape from her lips, she moved back a few feet. A safe distance.

"Elizabeth?" his head was tilted slightly to the right, an endearing quality that she imagined had followed him from his childhood, "Is something wrong?"

"No," she let out a breath, a release she wasn't aware she had pent up, "Everything's fine now." She leaned in toward him, giving him an awkward kiss as she tried to maneuver around the child he held in his arms. She touched his face gently, feeling warmth and safety regain control of her body.

"So where have you guys been?"

Lucky shifted Cameron in his arms. The child's head rested on his shoulder, his small body sprawled out in the space that was available to him.

"I just picked this little man up from Lulu. Apparently the Barrington's prized purebred poodle got loose again, and there was a ten man chase for that thing through the Quartermaine estate," he paused as Elizabeth gave him a stern look, "I know, but Lulu swears Sweetie doesn't bite. Cameron chased her with the rest of them, and now it looks like he's out for the night."

Elizabeth sighed. It wasn't that she didn't trust Lulu to care for Cameron, but the Quartermaine mansion wasn't exactly the most child-proofed house. Every time Cameron spent some time there, he returned home with another adventure under his belt. 

"Elizabeth," Lulu had given her an agitated look when she had suggested she hang out at their apartment to watch Cameron, "if you keep sheltering him, he's never going to learn to have any fun. Lucky and I were in situations like this all the time when we were younger, and we turned out okay. If you want this kid to have any personality, you have to start exposing him to what the world has to offer at a young age."

Elizabeth laughed out loud at the memory. She had no idea what kind of craziness was unfolding at the Quartermaine's half the time, but she did trust Lulu.

She examined the baby closely, "He doesn't look all that worse for wear."

Lucky rubbed his back gently, "He's a tough boy."

She grabbed his free hand, interlacing it with her own, "Come on. Let's get him to bed."

He nodded, squeezing her hand gently before they began the short journey home.

"Did you get him down?"

"He didn't even move. I told you, that dog isn't going to give him nightmares. It was probably half his size anyway."

"Yeah, you're probably right," she tossed the pillows onto their bed, "and I'm worrying too much."

"That's why I'm here. Somebody's got to mellow you out." He placed a kiss on her temple before letting himself fall on the bed, taking her down with him. She laughed before moving closer to him, guiding his arms around her securely.

"Did you talk to Mac today?"

"Yeah. He was pretty understanding about the whole thing, said I could have the time whenever I wanted it. Now all we have to do is book our flight."

"I can't believe this is really happening. Can you think of anything more perfect than a honeymoon in Italy?"

"Besides a honeymoon that actually occurs after the wedding, no I can't."

She poked a finger into his chest, "You were the one who couldn't stay out of the hospital long enough for us to go anywhere. Besides, wasn't I worth the wait?"

"You're worth everything."

She smiled up at him before clicking off the light beside her.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

She rolled over, reaching out for him. Finding him gone, her eyes snapped open. He never did this, never walked out on her while she was sleeping.

She sat up, looking around her. And that's when she saw him.

His hands were resting on the edge of the bed. Her bed. He hadn't changed at all, and the eerie sameness threw her. 

"How did you get in here?"

"Elizabeth, you should know by now that I'll always find you. But you're missing one crucial detail."

"I don't --"

But suddenly she did. Lucky was sprawled on the floor at Tom's feet. The blood was everywhere, covering him so completely that she couldn't tell where he had been injured. She opened her mouth to scream, but Tom had beat her movement, covering her lips with the palm of his hand. 

Pinning her down on her bed, he began to finger the waistband of her pants, scrunching the red fabric in his hands.

"Not a word," he smiled down at her, a crooked, twisted smile that sent chills down her spine, "Here comes round two, Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth!" Lucky's voice wasn't above a whisper, but it was enough. He could see her stirring in her sleep, her thrashing becoming more violent as she was thrust back into consciousness. 

He grabbed her hands to stop their movements, rubbing them gently in his own. She opened her eyes slowly, and he placed gentle kisses on the back of her hands.

He had experienced Elizabeth's nightmares before firsthand. She didn't have them often, but when she did they crawled deep inside of her, carrying her away to dark places she could never quite climb out of. 

"Lucky." Her eyes filled with tears, and she gratefully fell into Lucky's outstretched arms. He held on to her as tightly as he dared, stroking her hair lightly.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

She hesitantly separated herself from him, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks before starting to pace the short length of the room.

"I haven't had a nightmare like this for a long time. It's been years, Lucky. Why would this come back now?"

Tom. He wished that he could make every last reminder of him disappear, rid Elizabeth of him forever. But after all this time, he was still haunting her, still creeping into her dreams to take advantage of her when she was defenseless and off guard.

"When was the last time you dreamt about him?"

He reached out for her, and she allowed him to guide her back onto the bed.

She sighed, "A couple of years ago, I thought I saw him outside of Kelly's. It was dark and he was gone so fast that I didn't have time to move. I know that it wasn't him, it could have been any of the men in Port Charles, but at the wrong time, and in the wrong place, it was like Tom had been thrown at me again. I was married to Ric then, and I had nightmares for a couple of weeks before he finally went away."

"So what happened?"

"I would see him in my dreams. I would be back at the park, or in my studio, or even my grandmother's house. He would find me and then…" She trailed off, and Lucky didn't need to hear the words. He knew.

"I never told Ric. About the rape. I had thought that I could hide it, that if I pushed it back far enough it would just go away."

"And that's when…"

She nodded, "I came to you." 

He felt everything click into place. There had been a time during their separation during which he would find Elizabeth, looking scared and lonely in the most familiar places. She hadn't been herself, and he had taken her hand, walked her home. She had clung to him in the dark, unwilling to let go, and he had just held her until she detatched herself from his arms, walking away and disappearing inside. No words were ever spoken, and none were ever needed. On really bad occasions, she had even found her way into Kelly's, up to his room. He had wiped away her tears, wrapped his arms around her after she crawled into his bed. She had always disappeared by the time he awoke in the morning. They had been nights of friendship and healing, and they never spoke of them to each other. But there had been a time when her visits had become more frequent, clueing Lucky in to the fact that something was wrong. Elizabeth had refused to talk about those nights, but after a while she had stopped coming, and he knew that she had begun to deal with whatever was haunting her.

Her tears were falling freely now, "It's just like last time."

"No, baby, no. Tom's in prison. He's not going to get a chance to hurt you again."

"I hate feeling like this. So weak and helpless. We were just fooling ourselves, Lucky. He _has_ won."

"You are the strongest person that I know, okay? I know that things seem really bad right now, but Tom's not always there when you close your eyes. You've managed to keep him away for a long time, and I'm sure that after tonight he'll just disappear, become the nothing that he really is."

"Do you still dream about them?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes I think that I've banished them from my head, but they'll show up unexpectedly. But they're slowly starting to disappear, and I have no doubt that eventually, Faison and Helena will be gone. I'll finally be able to get rid of them. And when I look at how far you've come, I have no doubt that Tom lost his power over you a long time ago. One night doesn't make you weak. One night makes you human."

"Yeah. I know you're right."

"I didn't want to tell you this before. But when I joined the PCPD, the first thing I did was to check up on Tom. He's rotting in prison where he belongs, and he's not scheduled to get out for at least another year."

"A year. So this is really only delaying the inevitable, isn't it? Tom will get out, and all of these irrational fears are going to become just a little too real. What happens then?"

"Elizabeth, I wasn't there for you the first time. I let you down, but I swear to you I won't let that happen again."

She smiled at him, "You can't be with me all the time."

"When he gets out…what are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid that he's going to come after me. I'm afraid that he's going to do it again, and this time I'm not going to be able to heal and get past it. I'm afraid he's going to throw me back into that horrible place that I'm still trying to get away from." 

He shook his head, "We can easily get away. We can run. Change our names, move anywhere in the world…we'll go someplace he can never find us. Somewhere you'll feel safe."

"I wish we could. It sounds so tempting, but if we did that, I'd be letting my fear run my life and take me over completely. We can't spend our whole lives running. Eventually, you're going to run into precisely the thing you've been trying to escape."

"I didn't want you to see this before. But now…" he trailed off as he dug into the back of their small closet, pulling out a rather large item before he dumped it on the bed in front of her. 

_It was a backpack. No, not just a backpack_, Elizabeth corrected herself as she recognized it,_ the backpack. The Spencer backpack._

He opened up one of the front pockets and started taking out documents and handing them to her. Pictures of herself, Lucky, and Cameron looked back at her. She read some of the names to herself, "Lindsay Morrison. William Grey. Herbert Shoemaker. Hold it. You are not naming our son Herbert."

He smiled at her while he collected all the papers from her again, "I'm just trying to tell you that whenever it gets to be too much, if you ever feel like you're not safe here…we're gone."

She watched him throw the bag back into their closet before crossing the room back to her. 

"You make me feel safe," she murmured against his lips as she pulled him closer. 

"I just wish that were enough." He found the rest of his words ripped away from him as her lips pressed against his hungrily. 

"It's more." Crawling on top of him, she reached over and turned out the light, once more able to embrace the darkness.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Come on, Cameron." Lucky pleaded with the small child. Cameron shook his head defiantly before pulling his arm out of the striped shirt once more.

"But we had a deal." Lucky knew he was whining, but he didn't care. Elizabeth had given up on trying to wrestle Cameron into his clothing each morning, leaving Lucky alone with his futile attempts.

Cameron giggled, throwing his soft football at Lucky's head. Ducking the attack, he used the opportunity to stuff the toddler's arms into his shirt. He admired his work proudly before bringing him into the living room and placing him in his high chair.

"Last week, Jesse and I nailed ten guys, simultaneously, for extortion without breaking a sweat. How is it that I'm so easily defeated by a two-year-old?"

Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen, handing Cameron a bowl of dry Cheerios.

"Well, Officer Spencer, it appears you've finally met your match."

"Oh, funny." He grabbed her around the waist, bringing her in closer to him. She was cheerful this morning, as if nothing had happened last night. He almost wished he could be ignorant.

"You want me and Cameron to walk you to work?"

She leaned into him, "Tempting, but no. I'll pick him up when I get off my shift this afternoon."

"You get off at two?"

"Mm-hmm." She moved away from him, scooping up her belongings and kissing Cameron before heading towards the door.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

She closed the distance between them, kissing him softly, "I love you too. I'll see you later, okay?"

He nodded, picking up Cameron from his high chair. They waved as Elizabeth walked out the door.

"Okay baby." She threw her keys on a table by the door, setting Cameron down on his feet. He walked toward the one door in the apartment, poking his head down the hallway.

"Da-ey?"

"He's still working, Cam."

Seemingly satisfied with that answer, he toddled over to his football, squeezing the soft material between his fingers.

Elizabeth smiled as she watched him. Since she and Lucky had married last fall, she had encouraged Cameron to refer to him as his father. She loved the way his eyes would light up whenever Cam would call out for his daddy. The bond that the two had formed was something that exceeded all of her initial expectations, and she couldn't be happier.

She frowned. She had decided a few weeks back that some changes needed to be made, that she wanted Lucky to adopt Cameron and make him a more permanent fixture in the baby's life, no matter what the future held for the two of them. Unfortunately, she hadn't yet had the opportunity to make it downtown before closing. Still, she didn't want to rush things. This was one surprise that she wanted to do right.

"We'll get it right one of these days, right baby?"

"Yeah." He nodded emphatically at her before rolling the football over her foot. Laughing, she sat down next to him, rolling his toy back to him.

Lucky frowned. He had been pacing this area of the park for longer than he cared to admit, trying to find answers to a problem that probably didn't exist. When he had encountered Elizabeth in this spot the day before, she had been freaked, even panicky. It wasn't like her to react without cause, and something about the whole situation seemed to be a little off. But as he retraced his steps once more, he didn't find any brilliant flashes accosting him.

He looked behind him once more before leaving the park and making his way home. It was unexplainable, but something about the situation last night left him feeling uncomfortable. Shaking off his feeling as paranoia, he let it slip from his mind as he made his way down the streets of Port Charles.

Lucky paused in front of his apartment, a frown spreading across his features. He traced the number of their apartment absentmindedly, trying to will away the thoughts that had been following him.

Growing up, his father had schooled him, a unique education that no other children were obtaining. Instead of spending his time lost in the juvenile activities of childhood, he found himself learning how to pick locks, tie and untie fourteen different kinds of knots. But most importantly, he had learned how to read people. At a young age, he could distinguish an undercover mob boss on a crowded subway. He could read poker faces with an eerie precision, a talent that would end up getting him in trouble. He could sense a person's movement before they made it, an effective tool that enabled him to quickly rise through the ranks at the Port Charles Police Department.

So why, when it was most important, were these skills abandoning him, leaving him with nothing more than unanswered questions and a gun toting hand, shaking with uncertainty? He had never questioned his reflexes. Acting on impulse had always been enough to keep him alive. But now, with unanswered questions and an uneasy feeling he just couldn't shake, he wondered what good his childhood was if it failed him in this moment.

He noticed his fingers still tracing the familiar numbers on the door, moving unaided. He had promised himself a long time ago that nothing would touch Elizabeth in a hurtful way, nothing would make her feel as lost and alone as she was the day he found her in the park, the day he began to see her for all that she was. And now, with a son in his life, his worried and overactive mind began to swirl around him.

His instincts had never failed him before. They had kept him alive, helped him avoid death and danger more times than he cared to count. But now there was so much more at stake, and he couldn't discount those feelings, no matter how irrational they seemed.

"I made you a promise," his voice surprised him, and he wondered if he was speaking to the phantom images of Elizabeth or Cameron, "And I intend on keeping it." Making his decision, his mind was put to rest as he entered his apartment.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Elizabeth placed Cameron on the floor, watching him meander through Kelly's on unsteady feet. He disappeared from view, a table obstructing her vision, and she began to follow him as she heard his feet thumping loudly on the floor, clearly indicating that he was taking off at a run. 

His voice rose in an excited squeal, a chorus of something that sounded an awful lot like, "Grampy Luke", and she laughed. Luke Spencer was not the kind of man that would willingly be addressed as anybody's "Grampy". Elizabeth had a sneaking suspicion that this new nickname was all Lulu's doing, an annoyance to her father and a laugh for her. Despite the fact that Luke Spencer would never be the typical suburban father, he still didn't seem to have the heart to dissuade Cameron.

She watched Luke bend down, scooping Cameron up in his arms. Considering Luke's tenuous and complicated relationship with Nikolas, she had worried about how he would react to Cameron, how he would treat him. But it hadn't been long after her and Lucky's marriage that Cameron had won Luke over, and after a mishap at the Quartermaine's that Elizabeth was still blissfully ignorant about, he had referred to the little boy as a true Spencer. A loving and doting father Luke Spencer was not, but his acceptance of her son allowed Elizabeth to overlook some of his otherwise glaring flaws. Like the one she was now witnessing.

"Luke!" she marched over to him, grabbing his wrist to stop his wild flailing before wrenching the knife out of his grasp.

"What? I was just explaining how Robert and I…"

"Explain anything you want, just leave the props out of it." She chastised him.

Luke shrugged before whispering something to Cameron that made him giggle. 

Elizabeth turned around, facing the door once more. Lucky was due to arrive at any moment, and she'd let him deal with her father. It was remarkable that he and Lulu had survived their childhood with relatively few scars to speak of. 

Finding that her husband was the newest patron to enter the restaurant, she smiled, feeling her tension drain away. Even after all of this time, it was still a miracle to her when he returned home to her at the end of the day, safe and secure. 

He walked over to her, kissing her lightly on the cheek before they were interrupted.

"Da-ey!" Cameron's fragmented speech was accompanied by his hands, waving frantically in the air. Lucky laughed before prying him out of Bobbie's reluctant arms. It was amazing to him how relatives seemed to miraculously materialize when there was a baby anywhere in the vicinity.

He placed a kiss on the top of his head, listening to his childish babble. Rummaging around in the kitchen, he somehow managed to remember where everything was stored, re-emerging with a bowl of applesauce for Cameron to keep himself entertained with. 

He took a seat, Cameron situated in his lap, happily cramming applesauce into his mouth with a spoon much too big for his little fingers to fully wrap around.

Elizabeth was seated across from him, staring off into the distance. He hadn't heard her come over, and her silence made him uneasy. 

"Hey." His voice was soft, but even so it seemed to startle her out of wherever her mind had wandered to, "You want to go somewhere?"

She smiled, happy for the distraction, "Where are you taking us?"

"Not us. Just you."

"But what about Cam?"

"Trust me. There's no shortage of babysitters in this place."

Elizabeth followed Lucky's gaze to the counter, where Bobbie continued to shoot covetous glances in their direction. 

She laughed, the volume surprising her, before nodding. Taking Cameron, she walked to the counter where Luke and Bobbie were huddled together.

"Bobbie, I was wondering…"

A wide smile spread across her face, "I would love to." Without waiting for a response, she removed the child from Elizabeth's care, tickling his sides until he started to laugh.

"Can you blow Mommy kisses?" 

Elizabeth laughed as she left the diner, Cameron's excitement rubbing off on her. Taking Lucky's hand in hers, she allowed him to lead her off into the night.

Elizabeth stood in the darkened area, looking up at her husband.

"Why did you bring me here?" As the words escaped her, she realized that she wasn't scared, nor had she tensed up as they entered the gates. The park had been a place of fear and avoidance for a long time, but with Lucky's assistance she had been able to dispel all of that. They had even slept here one night, peaceful and secure. Two words she never thought she'd be able to associate with this place.

Looking at him, she knew. She had answered her own question, and she knew exactly what was on his mind when he'd proposed a sudden departure from Kelly's.

"I wanted you to see what I see. You've come so far, Elizabeth. It's been a long time since Tom was able to get to you, but you've beat him. You're brave and you're strong, and he doesn't control you any more, or make you avoid anything. I know you're afraid that he still has a tight grip on your life, and maybe you're right. In some ways, he might sometimes be there, floating around in your thoughts when you least expect him. But he no longer controls you. Who you are and what you've become…Tom can't claim that. It's all because of you."

She nodded, letting the thoughts that had been haunting her for the last few days evaporate into the air around her. And just like that, she felt lighter and more care-free than she had been since the last time she had wandered into this area of town. 

"How is it that you always know exactly what I need?" She questioned him. Before he could answer her, his hand was being tightly gripped by hers.

"Look!" She used her free hand to point at the shooting star that traced its path across the sky.

She suppressed a squeal, "That's a good sign, isn't it?"

"Probably one of the best we could hope for, yeah."

Still watching where the star had disappeared from her vision, she dragged him to the ground with her. Her finger drifted in various directions as she began pointing out the constellations that she could recognize. 

"There's the little dipper." She traced the outline with her finger, drawing imaginary lines to connect the stars into the familiar picture. 

Lucky was silent, searching the sky for a while. Finally, he pointed off in the distance.

"Chiron."

"Where is it?" Elizabeth tried to follow his gaze, intent on discovering the vague constellation he had named.

"You can't see it. He's way out there."

Seeing her confusion, he launched into the myth that his mother had told him on one of their many nights spent studying the stars and pointing out the various constellations. Laura had once told him that her favorite part of being on the run was the ability to see the sky from a thousand different angles, and she would make a point of finding a new constellation for every new town they stayed in.

"He was abandoned by both of his parents when he was younger. He underwent horrific things, but in the end he managed to overcome everything. He used his experiences to help others heal."

"It's a nice story, Lucky. But my experience certainly isn't going to land me a place among the stars."

"Maybe not. But he reminds me of you - his strength and determination, the way he was able to heal himself completely despite the ugly things that happened to him. His life turned out to be beautiful…just like I know yours will be."

She smiled, absorbing his words before leaning in closer to him. They let the darkness and silence envelop them, the moon lighting their faces. 


End file.
